Jack the Giant Slayer: Afterwards
by 7dpsrp4
Summary: We all know how the story ends. Jack gets the princess, and the kingdom lives forever in peace. But what happens when a young farm girl finds herself wrapped up in the affairs of the kingdom? How does she fit into all of this? ElmontXOC
1. Chapter 1

Jack the Giant Slayer: Afterwards

It had been a few weeks since the giants attacked. Our kingdom was now working it's hardest to repair all of the damage done to it. I wasn't allowed to help, as my father said that construction wasn't a job for his little princess. I wasn't anything close to a princess, but he liked to believe I was. We were just a poor family on the outskirts of the castle, my father and I. But the king had required all able bodied men to help in the reconstruction of the castle and buildings and such.

So as my father slaved away, I tried to do as much as I could to help around the house. I cleaned, I cooked whatever we had, and I tended to my father's animals. But eventually, there wasn't anything left to cook anymore. Time and time again dinner would be whatever our animals had decided to produce that day. I could see by the bags under his eyes that my father wasn't getting enough sleep, and adding that with the malnutrition, his health was going downhill, fast.

My first thought was to sell some of our belongings. Maybe a thing or two that mom had left behind. But I couldn't bring myself to part with any of the things that were in the chest she left behind. For one reason or another, they all had too much significance to part with. My second thought wasn't as innocent as my first. If we needed food, I could always go into the market and take some, right? After many days of thought, I finally decided that that would be my final plan of action.

The day I had decided to steal, or borrow without permission as I renamed it, I had taken care of all my chores very early in the morning so I could leave without a problem. I pulled my father's cloak up over my head and set off for the castle. It wasn't very hard to get into the castle, as the giants broke down the bridge on their way in. The bridge was left broken in half, floating into the charred moat around the castle. It was easy for me to maneuver my way in without being seen.

I headed along the alleyways, sidestepped along walls, and ducking down against barrels whenever I felt someone was near. I giggled quietly to myself, enjoying my adventure. When I had finally reached my target, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. There was stand after stand, rows upon rows of beautiful produce, all mine for the taking. Not only that, but the quality of all the food impeccable. Bright, vibrant fruits and vegetables. Red, tender, succulent pieces of meat. They all had my mouth watering before I even got the chance to take them.

Quickly and quietly, I zigzagged through the stalls, stealing an apple here, a steak there, all swiftly going into the cloak before I finally got enough. With my heart racing and my legs almost giving out from nervousness, I ducked back into the safety of the dark alleyway. I hit my back against the wall and slowly slid down, not believing I had done such a tremendous deed. I opened the cloak to check my prizes, when an irritated male voice came from behind me.

"And what, exactly, do you think you are doing?" Said the voice, making me flinch, and slowly turn around. The owner of the voice wasn't a disappointment in the least. He wore a guard's outfit, and I could tell it was authentic by the little plate he had on his arm. The symbols on his chest also proved that he was of the kings men. He was a tall man, probably had a good head on me, but that wasn't really hard to do, I wasn't a very tall girl. He had the coolest hair I've ever seen on a man. He was a redhead, and his hair spiked up, and tilted a bit to the side, a very good look for him. But his most noticeable feature, as far as I could tell, was his eyes. They were a beautiful blue green color, completely contrasting his tough guy demeanor. They looked sorrowful, yet full of energy. Overall, he was a very attractive man. But that didn't change the fact that I was in major trouble. When I finally came to my senses, he was urging me on with his throat clearing, and crossing his arms.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir." I bowed down, looking at the ground and waiting for the worst. "I just… My father and I, we don't have a lot of money… And I just…" I hung my head even further and listened.

"You understand that what you did was absolutely inexcusable, don't you?" Came his voice again, after what felt like eternity. I nodded my head, not wanting to look into those beautiful eyes of his.

"Yes, sir. I'm deeply sorry for what I did."

"Well, I suppose we could find a way to make you pay off what you've stolen." His voice sounded thoughtful, but I was afraid to ask what he meant by that. After a bit of silence, I heard him scoff. "And if you thought I meant with your body, you're sorely mistaken. No man would want to get involved such a kid looking woman like you."

I felt a surge of rage come through me, but decided to ignore it, in fear of getting a worse punishment. He could insult me all he wants if it means I come away from this alive.

"So, what is your plan, sir?" I asked, still on the ground. Is he ever going to allow me to stand? My answer came when he grabbed my arm and dragged me up and away from the alley.

"We're going to see the king."

And it was that encounter that would change my life entirely. That is where our story begins.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack the Giant Slayer

The knight who had found me was now dragging me through the town, making a spectacle of me and him. In any other circumstance, I would have found this terribly exciting. A knight in shining armor, and handsome beyond belief, was taking me with him to some unknown area. It sounded like one of my mother's books that she had never let me read. But after she passed away, I had full access to all of those books and boy do I wish I hadn't looked inside. But I'm getting off topic.

The knight walked in front of me while keeping a firm grip on my wrist. I was shaking slightly, worried about what would happen to me once we arrived in the castle. My stomach twisted in knots and I couldn't build up enough courage to ask him what his plan was for me. Every time I slowed down slightly to look around, there was a sharp pull on my wrist to remind me that I was still in trouble. After what felt like years, we finally made it to the castle.

"We're going to go see the king, but I have an idea in mind for you already." he said, making me look down. What could he possibly want with me? But he didn't elaborate on his words. That was all he said to me.

Guards stared as we made our way through the castle corridors. Cracks and stone were everywhere, not yet cleaned up by the workers. Although I couldn't get a good look at everything, due to sir pushy, I still could see that there was a lot of damage done by the giants. I say we should've made the giants clean up the mess they made before we sent them back up to their prison between heaven and earth. But my thoughts on the subject were rudely interrupted as the knight pushed me down into a kneeling position. It took several moments for me to realize that I was in the king's throne room, or whatever it is these people call it. I didn't dare look up to see if there was in fact a throne.

"Elmont, what have you brought with you today?" came a deep, gruff voice, which I assumed was the king.

"Sir, I've caught this woman stealing from our market." Although I was still kneeling down, I could practically hear the frown on his face. There were murmurs across the room, and to avoid being anymore humiliated than I already was, I tuned them all out.

"Stealing, you say? What exactly was she taking?"

"Anything, your highness. Just look." He walked over to me and pulled me to my feet. Ripping open my cloak, he revealed to all in the room everything I had stolen that day. And it was a lot. It all came tumbling down onto the castle floor, the fruits, the meats, the vegetables, everything. I hung my head in shame as a quiet gasp was heard throughout the room. To my complete surprise, the king chuckled lightly.

"You fit a lot in there, young lady." I didn't want to answer, in fear of offending anyone. But the knight, whose name I now knew was Elmont, pushed my back lightly.

"Y-yes. I'm so very sorry, your highness. Please forgive me." I bowed my head again, knowing that I was asking for a pretty big favor. Silence was the only thing to be heard in the room. My breathing quickened and the knots in my stomach grew tighter by the second as I waited for my fate to spoken.

"If I may, your highness?" Elmont was the first to speak, making me jump as his voice cut through the quiet. The king nodded at him and he continued. "She has stolen a lot of money's worth of food from our kingdom, and yet she doesn't have any money to pay for it. But the way many people get money is through a job, no?" The king nodded yet again. "So why doesn't the little girl work here at the castle to pay off what she owes us?"

My eyes went wide, as I looked at him in surprise. Was he serious? Me? Work at the castle? That was ridiculous! I didn't know the first thing about castles. I laughed inwardly to myself, waiting for the king to tell Elmont that that was a stupid idea, but it never came.

"That's actually not a bad idea, Elmont." My jaw dropped. Was the king really that stupid? Did he think I could do anything for them? "We do actually need help with the cooking and cleaning while the men and servants are away rebuilding. Tell me, girl, what can you do?"

"Well, your highness… I can… Well… I can cook, and I can clean…" I figured lying wouldn't help me at this point. I told him the truth, as that was really all I could do.

"Excellent. Then starting today, you are a maid to the kingdom." With a clap of his hands, it was done. My eyes stared, disbelieving, as the king turned to Elmont. "Take her to her room, will you?"

With a stiff nod, Elmont grabbed my wrist again and led me out of the room. I was still in a state of shock, so I couldn't really make any conversation. But we when stopped at a door, I finally let it sink in.

"You had planned for this?" I asked, mentally hitting myself for asking a stupid question. He simply nodded, unlocking the door. "But why? Why not just punish me like the others?" He turned to me, irritation flashing in those beautiful eyes.

"Why don't you just get in your new room, and be grateful that I didn't end your life!" he snarled. I frowned at him and stepped into the room, and he followed in slightly.

"No. I want to know why you did what you did!" I growled at him. The leather on his gloves squeaked as his fists clenched. I regretted being so forceful, but I kept my scowl to not appear weak in front of him.

"I don't know!" And with that, he slammed the door shut, leaving me alone in my new, dark, unfamiliar room.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack the Giant Slayer

I sat on the cot in the corner of the room, pondering all of the events of today. I tried to steal from the castle market, got caught by a gorgeous, but cruel knight, and are now being held as a maid here in the kingdom. I sighed and laid down on the cot, curling up into a ball. Several more sighs escaped my lips before eventually, sleep overtook me.

I was rudely awaken by a pair of rough hands violently shaking me.

"Get up! You have work to do." came that gruff voice I've come to cringe at. Elmont was shaking me so hard that I eventually fell off of the little cot and onto the stone floor. A searing pain coursed through my arm, but I ignored it.

"Where am I working, sir?" I glared up at him, spitting the last part in a sarcastic manner. Once again I saw the irritation flaming in those eyes. If I was useful for anything in this castle, it was making him angry.

"Just get up and follow me, girl. I'll show you where you need to work." Then he promptly stood up, and walked out of the room, leaving me to quickly jump up and run after him.

"H-hey! Wait a minute! Where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep up with his quick pace. A not so quiet sigh passed his lips as he rolled his eyes.

"We're going somewhere you can actually be of some use to us. The kitchen." I sighed quietly to myself. I wasn't to keen on working a lot, but this was better than what I could be doing to repay my debt.

We continued to walk in silence down the corridors, until we finally reached a tall room. There were multiple stoves and ovens and utensils. More than I've ever seen in my lifetime. Which honestly isn't saying much, considering we didn't even have an oven in the shack that I shared with my father. I would've liked to look around, but sir pushy grabbed my wrist again and dragged me over to a pile of dirty plates and things of that nature. I grimaced at the stench that was wafting off the dishes and took a step back.

"This, girl, is what you'll be doing. Wash all of these. If you finish these, which I doubt you will, come and find me and I will give you another chore." Before I could even respond, he was out the door, leaving me with this giant pile of disgusting dishes.

Washing, drying, stacking, washing, drying, stacking, washing, drying, stacking. It was all so very repetitive, and that in itself made me finish faster. I had just finished when I heard a voice behind me.

"I've never seen you around, you work pretty fast." I just and turned quickly, only to be eye to eye with a boy who looked around my age, with jet black hair and blue eyes. I tilted my head in confusion. He didn't look like a knight, or even someone of any real social stature. What was he doing in the castle, roaming freely?

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked, hoping not to offend him if he truly was someone important. He also looked confused, staring at me.

"I'm Jack, nice to meet you." I finally realized where I had seen him before when he held his hand out to me. He was Jack the Giant Slayer, the savior of our kingdom. My brain finally decided to work right, and I knelt down, apologizing quickly.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to offend-" I was cut off by Jack laughing.

"There's no need to apologize or kneel or anything. I'm nothing special." He laughed it off as I stood up, staring at him. Nothing special? He saved the princess, and everyone else in all the land! If anyone was special, it was him. "But I am curious, who are you?"

I stood up and fixed my uniform that I had gotten in the room that I was staying in. It was nicer than the ratty dress I had been wearing, so I decided to stick with that.

"I-I'm Erika, sir." I shook his outstretched hand, feeling relieved as he smiled at me.

"No need for the sir, Erika. I'm just a kid, only just eighteen." He smiled again, and I felt more at ease. I was wrong about his age then, he was actually a year younger than I was. But he looked older than me. He probably got enough to eat every day too, where as I didn't. I smiled back at him, as the thought of Elmont passed through my mind.

"Oh! If you'll excuse me, sir, I've got more chores I need to get done." I smiled quickly at him again before ducking our of the room in search of the handsome sir pushy. I checked quite a few rooms before I finally found him.

He was in a room with a lot of glass and breakable objects, as far as I could tell. I peeked my head in and tried to get his attention.

"Sir?" Much to my despair, he did what I hoped he wouldn't. While he was holding a glass vase, he heard my voice and jumped slightly, causing the vase to slip from his fingers and crash onto the floor with a deafening crack. I flinched at the sound as he slowly turned my way, a hateful stare directed towards me.

"Look what you've done!" he cried out, pointing to the shattered remains. My jaw dropped as I looked right back at him with the same stare.

"What I've done?! You're the one who went and dropped it!"

"We'll, if you hadn't snuck up on me, this wouldn't have happened! Now get down and clean this mess up." he barked, still pointing to the glass. I grumbled, but did as he said, and cleaned up the glass into a little bag that he gave me. As I was scooping the last little bit of glass into the bag, I felt a sharp pain on my finger, making me jump back. Blood dripped from my finger onto the floor as I winced in pain. With a closer look, I could see a shard of glass sticking right out of my finger, making me queasy.

"U-uh, sir?" I asked, looking up at him. He rolled his eyes and took my finger in his hand, inspecting it closely.

"It's just a little piece of glass, not that bad."

"N-no, the blood. It's making me..." I could finish my sentence as I watched more blood fall freely from my now throbbing finger. He scoffed again and stood behind me, grabbing my hand in one of his, and my finger in his other. I could feel his hard chest against my back as he sort of cradled me.

"Now don't think this is anything that it isn't. I'm only doing this to stop your insufferable whining. Are you ready?" It didn't matter, my response. Without warning, he ripped the shard of glass from my finger and I held back a scream, jerking backwards into his chest, knocking both of us backwards. Elmont kept his balance but out of reflex he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed at our closeness but was so dizzy from the blood, so I couldn't comprehend enough to push away from him. We stood like that for a few seconds, or maybe minutes, hell, it could of been years, before he pushed away and looked at my finger. In total silence, he but a bandage on my finger. He was about to walk out of the door when I called out to him.

"H-hey!" I called, still shaky from before. He turned around and stared at me, not looking interested.

"What is it?" I looked around at everything but his eyes, trying not to blush anymore than I could feel I already was.

"I uh... I just wanted to say..." I sighed, "I just wanted to say thanks." I finally looked up to his face, to see that a faint pink tint was creeping along it. I could see him swallow, and then nod.

"It was my job. The nurses are all attending to the workers. Now get back to work."

A/N: Now, I didn't want to get involved with this story too much, until I was sure people would read it. But I've gotten good reviews so that's great! Keep them coming, even if you want to criticize it, all comments are greatly appreciated :) And if you want to message me about plot ideas you'd like to see, I will keep an open ear about anything! Hope you enjoy! Until next time, my fellow readers.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack the Giant Slayer

Elmont ran his hands along my back, pulling me closer to him. His hot breath covered my neck as he buried his head deeper in the crook of it. I let out a sigh as his hands rubbed my back in slow soft circles. I wrapped my arms around his neck, swaying to nonexistent music as he planted soft kisses on my neck.

"Elmont..." I whispered, wanting nothing more than to just stay where we were forever. He nuzzled deeper into my neck.

"Yes, love?" His usually gruff voice was somehow quieter and more sensual than I had ever heard it before.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up. I felt him chuckle, as I started to fall into a deep sleep...

I woke up early in the morning, rubbing my eyes vigorously. Was that really only a dream? Did I really just dream about cuddling with the man that was making my life even harder than it usually was right now? But I couldn't stop thinking about his perfect hair, or his beautiful mesmerizing eyes that bore into my soul. Or even his charming smile, which I had only seen once when he caught me stealing.

I shook my head and stood up. I needed to think less of Elmont, and more of getting my work done. Too bad they went hand in hand together. I sighed heavily before stepping out into the hall, bumping chest to chest into the handsome jerk himself.

"Hey! Watch it!" I glared up at him, trying to seem intimidating. But I couldn't stop thinking about my dream about him. The way he held me close, or the way he whispered to me. I was off in my own little world when a hand on my arm brought me back to reality.

"Whatever you're fantasizing about, knock it off. You've got work to do." I shook my head to get those thoughts out of my mind and nodded.

"Sure, whatever." I blew him off and headed for the kitchen.

"Hey, you've got different work today, the king wants to see you right now." Elmont called down the hall. I turned around and gave him a funny look.

"Well that would've been great to know before, wouldn't it?" I spat sarcastically at him. He rolled his eyes at me and walked towards the kings throne room, not waiting for me to catch up with him.

The castle was huge, so Elmont and I had a lot of time to talk about anything.

"Hey... Elmont?" I asked quietly, almost hoping that he hadn't heard me.

"What is it?" He sounded annoyed and that made me cringe a bit on the inside, but I continued.

"Why... Why don't... Um..." I stuttered out that much and I heard him sigh.

"Would you please just spit it out?"

"Why do you hate me so much, Elmont?" My eyebrows furrowed as he stopped in his tracks in the hall.

"I... What?" He looked down at me, pure confusion written across his features. I had been wanting to ask him about that ever since my first night. I was working off my debt to the kingdom, so I didn't know why he still felt like being an asshole to me. He looked me over for a few seconds before looking down. He sighed slowly before he began talking again.

"Listen. I don't hate you. I might dislike you at some points, but that's only because you're ungrateful." After that, he sent me a slightly fake irritated look and I giggled softly. "But I know where you are, and I know where you come from. I've seen people like you, and what they turn into, and I don't want another person to become that. I'm looking after you."

He was looking straight into my eyes as he said this to me, and I couldn't help quiver a little at hearing the severity in his voice. But what he said made me laugh a bit.

"What do you mean, you know me? You're a captain of the kings finest men, what do you know about me or what I've been through?"

All I got was a shrug. "Everyone starts somewhere." And with that, Elmont took his leave, pointing to the door which was obviously to the kings throne room. It took me a couple more seconds to comprehend what he had said. Did he mean that he had starred out poor and moved up? Or maybe that he had some friends that are poor?

"That man..." I whispered to myself, walking into the room and kneeling in front of the king. "Your highness." I addressed him.

"Miss Erika, was it? I have a request for you." He said, sounding pretty serious. I nodded while still down on the ground. "We need supplies for our cooks, but we're running low. I'd like you, and one of my men to go into the town and actually buy the ingredients." I cringed a bit when he said buy. I already felt horrible about the whole ordeal, he didn't have to rub it in my face.

"S-sir... May I make a request?" I managed to squeak out, looking up at him. He nodded, urging me to continue. "Can the man that accompanies me to town be Elmonr?"

Now, if you ask me why I asked for him, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I'm guessing it was because we had just had a conversation that made me look at him differently. I had fantasized about him on numerous occasions, but that moment was real. For that moment in time, we a a connection. It was small, but when he looked into my eyes, I could feel it. I could feel something that he was holding back as he said those words to me. I guess you could say it was that that made me ask for the kings permission to have Elmont be the one that took me into town.

Whatever made me do it, the king approved, and Elmont agreed to take me. Now, I'll save the story of our market adventure for another time, so look forward to it!

A/N: I've already started the next chapter, and I promise it will be better than this piece of crap of a chapter haha. There will be more lovey stuff with Elmont, I promise :3 Keep reviewing, I love it! Bye bye for now, my lovely readers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jack the Giant Slayer**

Elmont was quiet as we made our way out of the castle. I hadn't been out of that place in days and I was so excited to see all of the familiar sights of outside. I was running around, enjoying myself, when Elmont cleared his throat.

"Just what, exactly, are you doing?" I could hear him choke back a laugh as I tripped on the grass. I looked up at him with wide, playful eyes, and grinned.

"I'm having fun! But I guess they don't teach you that in knight school." I stuck my tongue out at him and continued to run around. The feeling of the wind through my hair felt so refreshing after being cooped up in the castle for days on end. My thoughts drifted towards my father as I sat down in the grass and started picking at it. Elmont noticed my change in behavior as he walked over to me.

"Well that was a change if pace. What happened to you?" His voice was calm, but still had that slight hint of irritation in it. I sighed and looked up at him.

"I have a father, Elmont. He's in the country, outside the castle... I haven't been able to talk to him in days, he probably thinks I'm dead." I looked down and sighed again. I jolted forward as I felt a hand on my back. Then Elmont cleared his throat and stepped back. I suppose that was just his way of comforting me.

"Well, I could have someone send out a letter to your father, letting him know you're alright and everything." he suggested, looking off into the distance. I picked at the grass some more, not quite satisfied with his proposal.

"That's great and all... But I miss him. Is there any chance that we could go and see him today? Before we get all the groceries?" I gave him a hopeful stare and he seemed to break down after only a few seconds.

"Fine. But only just long enough for you to let him know that you're fine, and that you work in the castle now." He looked pretty pissed off for letting me win that argument. I excitedly jumped and tackled Elmont in a hug. I acted before I could stop myself as I wrapped my arms around his neck and began jumping all around with him. It wasn't until he pushed me away until I actually realized what I had been doing. My cheeks flushed with color and I looked down, feeling mortified.

"Uh... Sorry about that..." I managed to spit out, despite my mouth deciding not to work. He just cleared his throat, fought back a blush, and nodded.

"As you should be. Don't let that happen again." And with that, he walked off. I made a face at him and ran over to catch up, excited to see my father again.

The journey didn't take very long usually, but with the awkward silence between Elmont and I, it felt like an eternity. I kicked at random objects along the as an attempt to avoid any conversations with him. He was behind the entire trip, which was pretty refreshing, as it felt like I was by myself walking home again. I was really excited to see my father again. It had been days since I'd seen him, and I had no idea how he had been. We didn't have much food left, and he wasn't a very good cook, so I was slightly worried. As soon as our old shack came into sight, I took off running. My feet carried me faster and faster towards the shack, as I was giggling the entire time. When I got to the door, I stood there, excitedly waiting for Elmont to get closer.

"Hey! I'll be inside okay?" I called back to him. He merely nodded and I opened the door quickly. "Dad! I'm home!."

I heard a thump in the other room, and my smile grew impossibly wider. I ran to our sitting room and no doubt, he was there, sitting where he usually was, in his chair. He took one look at me and smiled, opening his arms for a hug. I ran over to him and almost crushed him in a hug.

"Erika, where have you been?" I sheepishly looked away as there was a knock on the wall in the doorway. I turned to see Elmont standing there, looking very formal and serious. "Who's this young man?" My father asked, pointing over to him.

Elmont stepped forward and shook my father's hand, introducing himself formally. "Nice to meet you, sir, I'm Elmont. Captain of the King's men." He didn't have to add the last part, but I could see his eyes sparkle just a bit more when he said it. Anyone could've been able to tell that he was very proud of his title and profession. My father looked at him, then to me, then back to him, as if silently asking what was going on.

"Father... I..." I hung my head, not wanting to look at him. "I stole from the market and now I'm working at the castle as a maid to pay off my debt." I waited for him to reply, but all I got was a sigh.

"Is she at least behaving herself?" It took me some time to realize that he was talking to Elmont, not me. I heard a light chuckle leave Elmont's lips and I sent him a small glare.

"She's defiant, loud, and can't do much right," he sent me a look that parents gave their kids. A look of annoyance, or maybe something of more depth, who know? "But she's a hard worker and she's helped us a lot in the castle." I looked up at him in surprise, not believing that he had actually complimented me. I smiled to myself, feeling a flutter in my stomach. My father chuckled louder than I've heard him in awhile.

"That sounds just like my little girl. Just like her mother, that one. Now, Erika, could you go check up on our horses before you leave?" My father always tried to cover it up when he was sad, and I could tell he was fighting back something he wanted to say to me. I merely nodded and started walking out. Elmont grabbed my arm lightly and whispered to me.

"I'm going to talk to your father a bit, I'll meet you outside. Don't think about running away." The last sentence was spoken a bit harshly, but I just rolled my eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." I saluted and hugged my dad one last time before leaving the hut to go to the barn. I checked on the houses, and they were doing absolutely fine, so I returned to the house to take a peek at Elmont and my father through the window.

Their conversation didn't look too interesting. It really just consisted of Elmont saying something, and my dad either nodding or laughing. I was going to return to the barn when I spotted something peculiar. Elmont was reaching for something that was tied to his belt. I though the only things that knights carried on their belts were weapons, so I started to worry a bit, but I figured Elmont would do anything like that, so I just waited it out. He waited for my father to stop talking before he pulled out a little baggy and handed it to him. I squinted to get a better look, but the bag was just brown leather, not too special. When my father emptied the bag, both of our jaws dropped. In the bag that Elmont had giving to my father was more money than we had ever seen in our lives. Coins over coins toppled into the table and I felt myself tear up. Was he really giving that to my father? My dad pushed the coins back towards Elmont, most likely trying to give them back out of pride, but he just kept shaking his head and pushing the coins back. Finally, my father shook Elmont's hand, looking like he was about to cry. I myself was gonna cry at any second, so I pulled away from the window, trying to calm down.

"What's gotten into you?" There he was. I was so wrapped up in trying not to cry, I hadn't noticed Elmont leaving the house. I didn't want to let him know that I had been watching, but I couldn't help myself jumping towards him and hugging him tight. Tears that had been threatening to spill for the past few minutes came pouring out, as I cried into his shoulder.

"T-Thank you." I muttered, not letting him go. He tensed up, but eventually patted my back kind of awkwardly, in an attempt to comfort me. I continued to cry until I was all out of tears, and that's when I finally let him go. My entire body felt empty as I pulled away from his body. I sniffled slightly, feeling calmed by the gentle breeze that was blowing through the field. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "I meant what I said. I really did want to thank you."

"For what?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"For giving that to my father. That was more than we've ever seen in our lives and you have no idea how much you've helped him." Elmont looked at me in surprise, his cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red.

"You were watching us?" he spluttered out, making me giggle softly. I nodded and smiled at him, not really caring how he reacted. He could still hate me, but I was thankful for what he did to help my father. "Ah. Well... I was just helping someone else. That's in my job description. Now let's go, we have a long way to go back to the market and I want get done before night."

Grabbing my arm, he pulled me along the length of the field, not letting go of me until I forcibly had to rip my arm out of his grip. I laughed it off and continued to walk with him, feeling extremely relieved about the situation of my father.

Our shopping trip wasn't too terribly exciting, but there was an incident towards the end of it. Elmont had asked me to go grab some more vegetables, and as I was returning from the stalls, I was stopped by a group of men. They all looked incredibly drunk, and very creepy.

"Hey little lady, where you headed?" The leader of the gang grinned at me, stepping closer. I calmly took a step back, trying to avoid any trouble.

"I'm headed back to my house, if you'll excuse me." I tried slipping past them, but one of the guys caught my arm and pulled me close to him, feeling me up slightly.

"Now now, a pretty girl like you should be hanging out with us, not going home." I was about to scream or kick or anything when a voice came out of nowhere.

"Sorry, you lot, but she's with me." my heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Elmont behind me. The gang leader laughed.

"A knight, eh? Well, you don't want anything to do with this scrawny little girl, why don't you just be on your way, and we'll take real good care of her." I cringed when he ran his hands along my arms. At this point, I was disgusted, wanting nothing more than for Elmont to save me from these creeps. Elmont sighed and stepped closer.

"I implore you to see reason. She's with me, so hand her over." Elmont reached for me, but was blocked by another guy. He growled at him.

"Prove it then, knight." Elmont sighed and grabbed me, pulling me close. My eyes went wide as his face came closer to mine. Closer and closer, his face was now only a small space away from mine. My heart was racing, and my legs felt like jello. Finally, after a few more seconds, Elmont's lips touched mine ever so slightly. Electric shocks shot through my entire body, making me go weak in the knees. His arms wrapped themselves around my waist, which I was thankful for, because if he hadn't, I was sure I would've fallen over. The kiss only lasted about ten seconds, but it was the most amazing ten seconds of my life. When he finally pulled back, he looked deep into my eyes, and I felt my cheeks warm up.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You want this girl. We'll leave." And with that, the guys left me alone. I took a deep breath, pulling away from Elmont. I couldn't find any words to say, so we stood there in silence.

"Uh... Thanks..." I said, trying not to make anything awkward. He nodded and started walking back towards the castle, carrying the baskets with him. I stared after him and touched my lips gently, wishing to feel that pleasure for just one more second.


	6. Chapter 6

**Jack the Giant Slayer**

Working in the castle was amazing, don't get me wrong. But there was something about the repetitive nature of the work that brought me to where I was that day: The King's throne room.

I had put in more work than half of his appointed servants, and I didn't think it such a far stretch to ask for one afternoon for myself. I carried myself in the giant room with an air of determination about me. Acting nervous wouldn't help my request to the King. I knelt down in front of him, waiting patiently for him to address me, silently worried about what he could say to my question.

"What is it you've asked to see me for?" I've always admired how the King's voice always had a hint of caring sentiment about it, while still being the authority that his people need.

"Your Majesty, I'd like to ask you if you'd be so kind as to allow me this afternoon off." I tried to alter my voice like that. To make it sound important, like his. But it only came out as mildly significant.

"Is there anything specific you'd like to do on your afternoon?" That question caught me off guard. I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to do after I wasn't working, I just couldn't take that work anymore. I felt quite foolish, not being able to answer him.

"No, Your Highness. I would just like time for myself to relax, if that is okay." My knees started to hurt from kneeling on the cement floor, and I started to hope that he would just give me an answer quickly.

"Very well. You may have the afternoon off. But you know the consequences if you take advantage of this privilege." His voice had taken on a tone that made me shiver. It was dark, a tone that made fully realize what he meant. I nodded and kept silent, still chilled from his words.

"Thank you, Your Highness." I pushed up from my knee, standing in front of the King and bowing. He gave me a little half smile and dismissed me. I walked out of the room, relieved that it had gone so well.

Now, not working, I had no idea where to go. So decided to walk around the corridors for awhile. Repairs to the castle had been done first, for obvious reasons, and now it's was absolutely beautiful to look at. Armors from different knights, or places, were lined along the halls, standing proudly along the stone behind them. I had always admired the armor design of the knights now, but the other ones were pretty amazing as well. I was admiring one in particular, when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"That design was taken from a neighboring kingdom after we went to war with them." I pivoted quickly to see who was there, and my heart skipped a beat. Elmont was standing there, his arms crossed, looking thoughtful. His hair was in disarray, parts all different directions, rather than his usual orderly style. That, and the extremely noticeable bags under his eyes, told me that he had been up all night patrolling. The sight made me smile, knowing that he was so dedicated to his job. I turned back to the armor on the wall, hiding my face behind my long dark blonde hair. That was about the only use for having hair down to your waist. And mine was very straight, so it wasn't hard at all to just block people out with it.

"Was this armor... On a knight?" I asked timidly, not wanting to think about it.

"No, fortunately. The King had a fondness for their armor, so he had his blacksmiths replicate the design, only with our stronger materials." Elmont stepped closer, running his hands along the chest plate of the armor, looking at it thoughtfully. I noticed his closeness and panicked slightly inside.

"Well... That's good." I hit myself over the head internally for coming up with such a ridiculous response. He only nodded, then turned towards me.

"Why aren't you working?" he asked, not looking mad, but confused.

"I asked for permission to have the afternoon off." I answered, not looking at him in fear of blushing too much.

"So you decided to walk around the castle on your day off from the castle?" He chuckled, and I felt my stomach tighten up. He had always had that effect on me, and it wasn't getting any better as time went on.

"Yes, I didn't know what to do." I took a risk and looked at him. He had fixed his hair, and it looked like he was feeling better. He nodded and turned around.

"I've still got work to do, but why don't you go outside? It's a nice day and there are a lot of things to explore. But don't make me regret giving you that idea." He looked at me over his shoulder and gave me an intense look, before laughing at my expression and walking back to where he came from. Not wanting to follow my gut and call after him, I decided to go outside.

Stepping into the courtyard, I felt immediately relaxed. It was the middle of summer, and all the trees were vibrant with beautiful shades of green and brown. The grass was well kept by all the King's gardeners, so there were no dry and brown spots to ruin the image of the beautiful scene. I sat on the grass and closed my eyes. Laying back, I could hear different types of birds that were chirping happily, not having a care in the world. Some were high pitched, others quite low, but they were all beautiful in their own way. Listening further, I could hear the gentle breeze blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves and bending the weak branches at the tops of the trees. The smell of the fresh grass brought me back to when I was a young girl, playing outside with my mother, enjoying the simplicity of youth. I smiled to myself, sinking lower into the incredibly soft grass.

After relaxing in the sun for a few minutes, a peculiar sound made my ears perk up. I knew that sound all too well. I grinned and bolted upwards, running to check my suspicions.

Sure enough, after running quickly through some trees, I found myself at a river. I felt my mood raise completely, and I smiled gently to myself. Rivers were a big part for me in my childhood. It was where my mother and I would swim, and where we would go to get away from my father, and where she would gently sing to me when I couldn't sleep.

A tightening in my chest brought me back to reality. My mother was gone, and there wouldn't be anyone to replace her for the things she did. I walked over to a rock on the river side and sat down, sighing heavily. My mother died when I was thirteen, leaving me alone to live with my father. He was a great parent, but we both knew he couldn't do what mom did. So I learned to brace myself over the years from the pain of life. I tried to be as happy as I could at any moment, while hiding my true feelings. I trailed my hands along the cool, smooth surface of the currents, getting wrapped up in my thoughts of the past.

-Elmont's p.o.v-

I hadn't expected to see her there. I was finished with my rounds and decided to go to the one spot in the kingdom that calmed my nerves. When I was but a little boy, I would come here with Crawe, and play knights with him. I smiled to myself, thinking about how we would fight each other with sticks we found by the trees, and how we would save our own kingdoms and princesses...

I shook my head to clear those thoughts as I took a closer look at Erika. She looked calm, more so than I've ever seen her. She was sitting on a rock by the river, her hand floating across the top of the water, looking deep in thought. The scene was... In one word, peaceful. The river was running slowly, causing a relaxing trickle sound, and the birds were quiet so as to not be too annoying. It was the first time that I could've associated the word peaceful with that girl.

I stepped closer, trying not to make any noise. I could see her clearly, and I stopped, still watching her for movements. Her long hair was sprawled out around her, making her look even more peaceful. Little sparks seemed to go off in my abdomen and I cursed myself for feeling like this while watching her. I couldn't pull away from the sight, however. There was something about her appearence that drew me in, and I couldn't get away. I looked closer and noticed that her usual bright and happy green eyes were now clouded with some unknown trouble. The little sparks in my stomach turned into bigger sparks, causing me to turn away from her. I took a deep breath and was going to make my way back through the trees to the castle, when I heard a new sound. I froze in place when I realized it was her singing.

A slow song, one of pure sadness. I turned around and sure enough it was her, now facing the water, singing to herself. My eyes widened as I continued to listen. She had a beautiful singing voice, something I hadn't expected from a woman like her. I closed my eyes as her song warped from a song of pure sadness, to a sort of lullaby. I listened for awhile, and got sucked into her music. After a few minutes, I felt like it was time to take my leave from this place. And so I turned from the scene, and walked out of the wood, now pondering my feelings for this ever changing girl...

A/N:Alright, I tried a bit harder in the writing of this one, and I hope it's better than the others. If it's not, let me know! Any feedback is good for me :) Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Jack the Giant Slayer

I noticed something was off as soon as I woke up. I sat up, and I had an upsetting feeling in my stomach. A chill jolted through my torso, causing goose bumps to surface on my arms. I tried to ignore it, and got dressed, still wearing the maids uniform that I was given.

I stepped out into the hallway, the feeling in my stomach not helped by the quiet eerie feeling of the castle corridor. The constant hustle and bustle of the stone palace was now down to nothing, the only sound being my footsteps as I tried to find Elmont. I was sure that he would know what was going on. So I searched all around where I would usually find him: the kitchen, the corridors, the armor room. But he was nowhere to be found. I also noticed that I hadn't seen anyone else on my expedition to find answers. The upsetting stomach feelings gave way to pure nausea, as I could still not find one trace of life in the now lonely stone castle.

I finally decided that the best place to check was the King's throne room. If anyone knew what was happening, it was the King himself. So I hurried from the kitchen out into the corridor, on my way to the throne room, when I came into contact with something hard. Already being a clumsy person, there was no way for me to keep my balance and I started falling backwards. Whatever had knocked into me was no reaching out and grabbing me, holding me tightly against it. It all happened so fast that I didn't even think to check who it was who had caught me.

But it was foolish of me to believe that it would've been anyone other than my knight in shining armor, Elmont. He held on to me as I was catching my breath, making sure I was stable against his chest. My heart was beating quite fast when I realized how close he was holding me, and my thoughts immediately drifted to the night at the market. I got lost in my fairytale land until reality reared its ugly face.

"Er... Are you alright?" His voice was like silk; I could listen to that man talk for hours. Not wanting to forget the perfect sound of his voice by speaking with mine, I just nodded. I looked up at him, and he released me slowly. "Alright. Well... I was actually just coming to look for you." He wasn't looking at me, and a faint pink tint was across his entire face. I admired the innocent color before answering him quickly.

"What did you need?" I asked, and I found myself staring at his beautiful blue green eyes. He wasn't looking at me, so that made what I was doing incredibly less awkward. His light blush had made its way up to under his eyes, making me just want to squeal at how cute he looked. But of course, he still looked manly and rugged like a knight should.

"The King needs to see everyone. He's called us all to his throne room." I nodded and walked with him in comfortable silence. The only sound around us was the clinking of his armor plates. It was a relaxing sound; it gave me a sense of security and safety. I took a risk and peeked over at him, relieved to find he wasn't looking at me. I smiled to myself at the way he walked. His chest stood out, and he took long, purposeful strides. I imagined that in that heavy armor it would be quite difficult to maneuver like that, but Elmont never did cease to amaze me. I was too busy watching Elmont to realize that we had made it to the throne room, and I bumped into his back, falling backwards slightly. He gave me a look over his shoulder and I hung my head in embarrassment. He chuckled softly and opened the door, sending a creaking noise through the silent room ahead of us. I walked in, taking my spot next to a few maids. I smiled slightly and said my quiet hellos, before becoming silent along with all the other people. The King was in his throne, looking solemn. Beside him, was his daughter, the princess. And beside her was Jack, who looked sad and worried. His eyes caught mine, and he gave me a little reassuring smile. I nodded and looked towards the King as he started talking.

"I've called you all here for reasons that I would have rather avoided. But it seems as though what is coming is inevitable." The King took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, emanating stress. He took a few more moments to gather himself, before looking at all of us with determination written in his features. "We have had war declared upon us by the Kingdom of Burlion." Quick and quiet murmurs raced through the room, causing a slight buzz. One stern look from the King caused it all to die down to nothing more than silence. "Now, the reason I called all of you here today, is that I'd like your help. All of you, if you could all lend your hand in helping our brave knights in the protection of this great Kingdom."

Whispers of agreement, and nods of approval were seen all around the room. I, however, was in shock. War? Isn't that where people fought each other to the death for a reason never worth the casualties? Isn't that the same event that had taken my brother from me when I was only old enough to just begin to understand what was going on in my life? War. It made my stomach coil up just thinking about it. I felt an overwhelming urge to throw up as the knights were getting bombarded by hordes of people ready and willing to help out.

I don't know how long I stood there. It could've been a minute, maybe an hour. All I know is that I was sick. A hand on my shoulder brought me out of my trance and made me jump. I shook my head and looked at the knight in front of me. He asked me if I was okay and I gave him a reassuring smile and nod. I wished him the best of luck in their fight and took my leave. I had to get out of there. I needed to forget all about the thoughts plaguing my head.

I barely made it down the hall when I heard someone call my name.

"Erika!" I turned around quickly only to be met by Elmont's extremely close face. I took a step back and looked at him, wondering what was going on.

-Elmont's p.o.v.-

I stood at attention as His Highness explained to the rest of the staff about the war that was declared on us. I showed no signs or worry or stress, as that is what knights were trained to do. You couldn't let the people know how you were feeling. It was a knight's duty to make sure things were orderly in the kingdom, and if that meant hiding your true emotions on war or fighting, then so be it.

As soon as the King asked for their help, people came scrambling up to us, thanking us and offering any help they could offer. I smiled and sincerely thanked them, happy that they were taking this well. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw one person standing in their original spot. At a closer look, I realized it was Erika. My eyes narrowed as I watched her stand there. She looked almost in pain, her usually tan skin now a sickly pale color. Her cheeks were bright red, contrasting almost beautifully against her pale face. In fact, it would've looked beautiful had she not looked so sick.

She quickly pivoted on her heel and left the room, holding her stomach. I felt a strong pull to go after her, so I politely excused myself from the rest of the staff and ran out of the room. I couldn't stop myself before I called out her name.

"Erika!" I stopped quite close to her when she turned around. Our noses were only a small distance from each other and I saw her cheeks turn even redder before she stepped back.

"What is it?" Her tone with me was starting to change. When we first met, I was harsh with her, but only because I had been there. I had been that poor kid, having no other option than to go into the market and take things for my family. I knew people like me, and what they did. But I had Crawe, who was part of a richer family than I. His family helped mine out immensely because he and I were friends. But this girl, she didn't look like she had anyone to turn to in her time of need. So I decided to be that person. I would help her out and make sure she didn't turn out like some of the others like her.

But now her tone was... Cheerful? No, that couldn't be the word. It was more... Calm. She used to take every opportunity she could to yell at me or treat me with disrespect, and while she still does at times, she's gotten more civilized and normal with me. I could've sworn the last time she caught a glimpse of me in the corridor, she smiled to herself and looked away.

"You left the room, why?" That was only half of what was really on my mind. I was actually and truly worried about this girl. Her sickly form made something in my body ache to go for her. I asked myself in my mind when these feelings had surfaced, because I had never realized them until now. I was snapped out of my thoughts when she began speaking again.

"I just... Needed some air. It's too stuffy in there, you know?" She laughed slightly, but I could tell it was fake. I nodded anyways and continued to walk with her, building up my courage to ask her what I had planned for in the first place.

"Erika?" I asked, proud of myself for sounding composed and strong, and not nervous.

"Yes?" Her response was immediate, so I had no time to continue preparing.

"Would you like to help me out. In the war preparations I mean."

As soon as the words left my lips, she stopped. It caught me off guard, but I caught myself and stopped with her, apprehensive about her movements. She looked down, her darker blonde hair covering her face. I saw, out of the corner of my eyes, her fists clenching slightly. I was starting to regret my question.

-Erika's p.o.v.-

He had asked me to help him out. I should've been ecstatic. I should've been happy and excited to spend time with him and all these other feelings that I was nowhere close to. I should've said yes on the spot, but how could I? How could I, knowing that what I was doing was bringing him one step closer to risking his life? It made me sick to think about, and I had to clench my fists to focus the pain from my stomach into my hands.

But despite all of these feelings, I nodded. I didn't look up, I couldn't look at him, but I nodded. I wanted it to be me that helped him out, no one else.

So we continued our walk down the hall, him in front this time, to god knows where. I assumed he was taking me to wherever he needed my help, which was much of a clue for me, since I had no idea what he needed. We walked in a comfortable silence, until we can to a door unfamiliar to me. I looked around and realized that the entire corridor was unfamiliar to me. I thought I had discovered everything there was to discover in the castle, but I was constantly proved wrong. Whether it be trap doors, secret passageways, or even booby traps, this castle always kept me on my toes for the most part.

Elmont opened the giant wooden doors to reveal the most intriguing room I had seen yet.

"Woah." was the only word to escape my lips. I heard Elmont chuckle lightly, and in turn my cheeks heated up. I swear I had blushed more in a week at the castle then I ever had at home.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?" I nodded as I look at all the weapons lined up on the walls and just gawked. The only weapons that I had seen were the ones that Elmont carried on his back. But these... These were amazing. I looked at all the swords, the spears, the cannon balls, everything. Every weapon you could've imagined was up on the walls, or sitting in sheaths on the shelf.

I turned to the other side of the room, which was just as amazing as the first side. There were shields and other types of defensive things on this wall. I felt an urge to walk to one of the shields and run my fingers along the ridges of it. The metal was cool on my fingers and made a shiver travel through my spine upwards.

"They're pretty intricate, those ones." Elmont was standing right next to me when he said that, but I was so focused on the shield that I didn't even mind him.

"Yeah." Then a thought popped into my mind. "What did you need my help with, anyways?"

"Here, come with me." He motioned me over to a little wooden cabinet, and opened it slowly. Inside it were about three dusty swords, and one dirty shield. I tilted my head in confusion. Why were these here? And why weren't they as shiny and clean as the other weapons here? "These are my older weapons that I believe will be beneficial to us in our upcoming war." My stomach tightened when he mentioned war, but I nodded none the less.

"What do you want me to do with them?" I asked, still quite confused. He cleared his throat and looked away.

"Well, I was just wondering if you could help me in cleaning and polishing these. They need to be in top shape so that they don't bring us down." He wouldn't look at me, and I smiled at his cuteness.

"Sure I'll help you, Elmont. I'd be happy to." I nodded and reached up to grab one of his swords. It was heavier than I thought it would've been, and I stumbled backwards, causing Elmont to laugh at me. I giggled to myself and placed the sheathed sword on the table. The dust from the sword drifted up to my nose and filled it with a musty old smell. I wiggled my nose until I had to sneeze, falling backwards as I did. I shook my head and walked back to the table, blushing slightly from embarrassment. I carefully took the sword out of the sheath and placed it on the table.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" I pouted and looked at Elmont, who was now obviously trying to cover his laughter. He had his hand placed over his mouth and his shoulders were shaking slightly, making me pout more.

"I would know if you told me." I told him smartly. So he explained how to properly inspect the sword for damage, and then how to clean and polish it.

I tried, I really did. I watched him extremely close, but yet I couldn't seem to get it down. It was one of those things that looked super easy when someone who had been doing it for years did it, but when you tried it, it was horribly difficult.

I signed and put the sword down, getting extremely irritated with the whole ordeal. I heard movement behind me, then I felt him.

"Pick up the sword." He ordered, and I obeyed quickly. I picked up the sword and he pressed his chest to my back. His arms wrapped over mine, holding the sword with me. I blushed heavily, feeling the steady beat of his heart. He started talking about how to do it, and using my hands to show me what to do, but I couldn't pay attention. His voice vibrated my back, and his hot breath tickled my ear. Shivers shot up and down my back, making my mind go blank. I was only barely aware of what he was showing me. After what felt like only a second, he pulled away and walked in front of me.

"Now do you understand?" He asked, looking exasperated at my inability to do this. I nodded and continued to try and fix up the swords. Luckily my brain picked up a few of the tips he had showed me, and we finished in the next half hour.

I placed the last sword on it's shelf, happy that I was able to help out Elmont. I was about to walk out the door when Elmont grabbed my wrist and spun me around to him. My waist pressed up against him and my stomach erupted with tingly feelings. He didn't let go of my wrist as he got closer and closer to my face. I bit my lip, anxious to see what he was doing.

After a few seconds, I felt his warm, soft lips on my forehead. My face heated up, and he pulled away, smiling gently at me before letting go and walking out of the room.

"Thanks for everything."


	8. Chapter 8

Jack the Giant Slayer

Pacing. Waiting. Worrying. Pacing. Waiting. Worrying. That's all I did for the whole time that I was at the castle during the war. Elmont had left, and I was alone. Every morning, afternoon, and night my prayers and thoughts went to him. My stomach turned every morning that I didn't see him coming down the hall to greet me. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. The worry was eating me alive and I had to do something about it.

It was a warm summer morning when I got up. It was just an average morning, nothing out of the order. I walked into the corridor, sighing to myself as I didn't see Elmont. I shook my head of those depressing thoughts, and made my way into the weapons room.

As I walked into the familiar room, visions of what had happened in it flashed through my mind. I sat down at the workbench and sighed, letting my head fall into my crossed arms. I sat there, silently praying and wishing, until the silence of the room started to get on my nerves. I stood up and walked away from the table, going over to inspect the armor that had been left from the knights that had returned. I ran my fingers across the smooth design, frowning as bits of blood and dirt chipped off from it. I took a used chest plate from the wall and gently laid it down on the workbench. I grabbed a rag from the pile and began to clean it, scrubbing off all remains of war from its surface. Then I began taking other pieces of equipment and doing the same for them. Not too much later, and I had an entire knights outfit, cleaned and ready to go.

~~~~~~~~ Elmont's P.O.V ~~~~~~~

You never realize how much you want a person until you've left them. I missed everything about that woman, even the part of her that goes out of her way to irritate me. I missed the way she always had a comeback for anything that I could've said to her. I missed the way she looked when she was happy, her eyes sparkling and her smile brightening up the entire castle. I wanted to not miss her. I wanted to keep my mind on nothing but the war and the task at hand. But on those long nights of patrol, one's mind tends to wander, and mine seemed to always wander to her.

I walked back to our campsite, greeting one of the patrollers as I made my way back to my own tent. I stepped inside and sighed, flopping down onto my makeshift bed. We still hadn't seen any sign of our enemy, and we were on lookout 24/7. I had just finished with my shift, and came back to relax in my tent for awhile. I crossed my arms behind my head and sighed, thinking about the new recruits who were supposed be arriving that day. A large majority of our original troops had gone home due to injury or choice. Only me and a handful other people remained in our group.

I was brought out of my thoughts by one of the remaining knights poking his head through the opening of my tent.

"Elmont? The new recruits have arrived, they're waiting for you."

"Very well." I sat up, cursing silently to myself as my sore muscles made me pay for moving too quickly. I stood up and walked out of the tent, greeting the new recruits with a straight face. I ran through what they would be doing here and sent them on their way. One knight seemed different than the other, but I couldn't place what it was about them that made them different. He was was shorter than the rest of them, and skinnier as well. He seemed to walk slower, as if he wasn't used to the armor he was wearing. I could tell that he would need some training before he was useful for anything. I saw him trip and fall onto the ground, and I walked over there. I stood above him, looking down at him with a straight face.

"Are you alright, soldier?" I asked, watching him pick himself up. He had his upper and lower visors down, so I couldn't look at his face at all. He nodded quickly at me and scurried off, leaving me standing there dumbfounded. There was something odd about that boy.

It wasn't my night for patrolling, finally. I was resting my eyes in my bed when someone walked into my tent. I opened my eyes and saw the short knight from before standing there. Before I could even fully stand up, he tackled me back onto the bed. Shocked, I threw him off me.

"What the hell was that all about?!" I whispered harshly. Most people were trying to sleep.

The knight sat on the floor, and reached up to his helmet. He pulled upwards and the first thing I saw was dirty blonde hair. My eyes widened as he revealed more and more until there she was.

"Erika?" I asked quietly, my eyes wide and my brain not comprehending what was going on. She looked up at me, her face bleeding from the blow she took when I pushed her. Blood slowly made its way down her cheek, dripping onto the rest of her armor. She smiled up at me with that amazing smile of hers.

"Hey Elmont."

~~~~~~~~ Erika's P.O.V ~~~~~~~~

I couldn't help myself. As soon as I saw him alive and well, I couldn't help but jump at him. He must've thought that I was attacking him, and he shoved me off of him and the bed, causing me to cut my head on the inside of my armor. The pain didn't even register in my head as I looked up at the man that I had missed for so long.

War had done it's damage on Elmont. Even a man as strong as him couldn't hide when he was weary and tired. From the way he walked, I could tell his muscles were screaming at him to stop. The bags under his eyes indicated that he had probably not gotten any sleep for a very long time. His armor had been worn down, and the once shiny black plate was now a dirty, dull gray color. His hair was all in disarray, and I would've teased him for it, had I not been so happy to see him.

"What the hell was that all about?!" he barked, making me flinch backwards. I didn't know how to respond to him, so I decided that showing him who I was was the best plan. I reached up and started pulling on my helmet, letting my tucked in, long dirty blond hair fall onto my shoulders. Slowly, my whole helmet was off and I had shown myself to him. His eyes widened and he said nothing. Minutes past, and still nothing. I watched him and he watched me. After what seemed like forever, Elmont broke the silence.

"Erika?" I smiled up at him and looked into his amazing eyes.

"Hey Elmont." I stood up, wiping the blood from my face and stepping closer to him. "Long time, no see." I laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten up the mood.

"What... What are you doing here?" he spluttered out, stepping closer to me. I looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"I guess I just... I hated thinking that you were out here by yourself... With the potential to be killed. I needed to see you." I spoke to the ground, not wanting to look at him. I felt his gloved finger under my chin, the smooth leather lifting my head up to look at him.

"It's too dangerous out here, Erika. You could get seriously hurt. I'll take you back home as soon as I get the chance to." I gritted my teeth and twisted my expression.

"I'm not a little kid! I can take care of myself, you know!"

"Erika, you're only nineteen. Of course you're still a kid! You don't know what you're dealing with." Our voices were rising in volume, each of us trying to make our points.

"I know that this killed my brother! I know that much! And if I can help other people through this sick event, then I will! And you can't stop me!" I huffed and crossed my arms, giving him a nasty look. He stepped closer to me and grabbed my wrists and pulling me closer to him. I gasped slightly, our chest plates clinging together loudly.

"Listen to me, Erika. If anything... Anything at all were to happen to you, I wouldn't, no, I couldn't forgive myself. If anything happened to you I would not be able to live with myself. I know you're not a kid, but I need you to go home. Please." His face was inches from mine, and I could feel his breath on my face. He had never said anything like that to me before and I didn't know how to respond. I nodded slowly and stepped away from him.

"Fine. I'll go home. But don't think I'm doing this for you. I have to get back to my job at the castle." I rolled my eyes and turned away, trying to hide my burning face. I heard a soft laugh coming from behind me, and I turned to see Elmont trying to stifle a laugh. He calmed down quickly and nodded at me.

"Alright. I'll take you home tomorrow, it should only take a day or two to get back. But for now, you should get some rest."

"Yes, mom." I rolled my eyes again, sitting on the floor. "Can I stay here with you tonight?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.

"If you want I suppose. Here, the lady gets the bed." He stood up off the bed and patted it for me. I smiled at him and flopped down, enjoying the makeshift bed.

"Thanks, Elmont." I grinned at him and closed my eyes.

"What an idiot.." I heard him mumble to himself. "Hey, Erika?" he said a bit louder.

"Yeah?" I answered back, too tired to open my eyes.

"You're a real pain in my ass, did you know that?" he asked with a sigh. I smiled to myself

"I'm well aware. Goodnight Elmont." While my eyes were still closed, I felt a pair of lips gently touch my forehead. I smiled to myself and rolled over. The last sound I remember hearing before I fell asleep was the familiar and comforting sound of Elmont's armor clanking around as he got ready for bed. God, how I missed that sound. God, how I missed that man.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack the Giant Slayer

Keeping my eyes shut, I rolled over in the bed I was sleeping on. I hit something, and it was warm so I snuggled into it. I was too tired to ask myself what could be warm in my bed, so I just let myself cuddle this thing in my bed for awhile. When I did decide to open my eyes, they widened immediately. Only a couple inches away, was the sleeping face of my knight in shining armor. He must have gotten cold or uncomfortable during the night and crawled in bed with me. I smiled at the thought.

Taking the chance that I had, I studied the features of his face. I traced my fingers lightly over the small, almost undetectable wrinkles that had developed along his forehead. He must worry too much, the poor man. Then I moved my hand to his facial hair, giggling quietly to myself. I always loved a man with facial hair, and Elmont had the perfect amount. My fingers then moved to trace his lips, feeling that they were chapped and worn from the harsh conditions of the late fall weather. I moved my hand to gently run through his hair, admiring it's style. It was amazing how he could keep such a gravity defying hair style in these conditions.

When I was through studying him, I curled up closer, as the morning air started to affect my nose. I buried my nose into his chest, savoring the warmth and his scent. He smelled unlike anything I had ever smelled before and I loved it. I closed my eyes again and let my mind drift back to sleep.

A poking in my side woke me up a couple hours later. I groaned quietly and opened my eyes, giving a nasty look to Elmont. He gave me a straight face in response.

"Get up, we have to go." he said, keeping it short and sweet. Well, keeping short at least. I nodded and sat up, stretching my arms in the process. The chill of the morning had nipped at my nose, and I rubbed it in hopes of warming it up. A little ray of sun had peeked through the tent, illuminating the pile of armor that was laying from the night before. I stood up and walked over to it, putting it on piece by piece until I was all dressed. I put my visors up, as all the other knights were not aware of me being who I was. Elmont and I walked through the camp, him talking to a couple soldiers to get us out of the gates. As soon as we were out of the camp I ripped my helmet off and fixed my hair.

"Those helmets are really bad for your hair, did you know that?" I asked, looking over at Elmont. He looked at me and chuckled, not saying anything.

Our walk was peaceful, the only sounds heard were of clanking armor, and birds chirping. Every once and awhile we would hear a more unique sound, such as a random growl, or the trickle of a nearby source of water. Elmont walked beside me this time, which was unusual for him. He usually walked either in front of or behind me when we walked together for long periods of time. I couldn't help but sneak glances over at him when I was sure he wasn't looking.

My feelings for Elmont had, in a way, evolved. When I first met him, I thought he was just a really attractive jerk. But know that I can see why he was how he was and the softer and gentler side of him, my feelings have grown. I'm not just attracted to his physical features now, although those are a plus. I'm attracted to his rough and tough outside personality, and his sweet inside one as well.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Elmont wasn't walking with me anymore. I turned around to see him looking around.

"What are you doing?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. I stepped closer to him, watching him inspect all around the clearing we had stepped into. It was a pretty flat piece of land, and soft grass covered the ground. There were trees on all sides, casting moving shadows through the clearings. The wind had been pretty hard that day, and it was blowing dead leaves from the trees onto the ground. A few of them crunched under my shoes as I walked towards Elmont.

"I'm thinking that this is a good place to set up for the night." he said, a hand on his chin. I hadn't been paying attention, but now that I looked at the sky, I saw the sun start to fall behind the trees, making the sky a beautiful orange and pink mix.

"Alright. What have we got to do?" I asked, sitting beside him. He looked up at the sky, then scanned the perimeter once more. If Elmont was anything, he was alert.

"Just sleep on our mats for the night. No use setting up anything unnecessary." He rolled out a large mat, sitting down on it as he took off his armor.

I bit my lip looking at his body without armor on. The purple under-armor suit he wore fit him perfectly, hugging all of his muscles. You could tell he trained a lot, if you looked at the way he moved. His actions were sharp and precise, never out of place. He was just all around perfect.

"Any particular reason you're staring at me?" His deep voice broke me out of my trance and I jumped slightly.

"I wasn't staring at you." I looked away, frowning slightly. "I was simply thinking."

"About?" he asked, leaning closer. I took a deep breath, feeling my stomach flip at his closeness.

"Just things."

He was now right in front of me, sitting Indian style, looking into my eyes. I turned my head to look at him, drinking in all of his features. I would never get tired of looking at that man.

"Erika." A shiver ran down my spine when he said my name, making goosebumps form on my legs and arms.

"Yes?" I squeaked out, mentally hitting myself for acting stupid.

"What do you think of me?"

I stopped. The tree movement stopped. The wind stopped. Time stopped. What did I think of him? As a person? As a soldier? As a friend? What did he mean? Did he mean it romantically? Could he have feelings for me? Those and many other questions ran through my mind. I wanted to ask him all of those questions but all I could get out was a little "Huh?"

"What do you think of me? I don't understand you, though I've been trying for a very long time. I'm tired of guessing, Erika, so I'm asking you. What are your thoughts about me?"

I stuttered and spluttered: "I... Well... You're a good knight... And you train well..." I bit my lip and played with my hands, not sure what to say.

"No, not like that. You know how I mean." he said, and I did. I took a deep breath, preparing myself and gathering my thoughts.

"I honestly don't know. I used to think you were just this jerk who was put on the earth to make my life a living hell. But you've done little things here and there that have made me think differently. Like giving my dad money, or offering to walk me back to the castle. I don't think you're such a jerk anymore, you're just strict, and I respect that. And I know I can be a pain, but that's just because I was trying really hard to get you to notice me, and I know that wasn't the right way to do it, I just didn't know how. And you're really attractive, which I'm sure you know, and that just-" My rambling had been cut off by a pair of soft, chapped lips pressing themselves to mine.

My eyes widened slightly, staring into the closed eyes of Elmont. His body pushed against mine, causing me to fall backwards on the mat, landing with a thump. I closed my eyes, savoring the way that his lips moved against mine. His hands traveled to my sides, rubbing them softly through the fabric of my shirt. I moved my own hands up to tangle in his hair tightly, pulling his head further down against mine. One of my hands moved away from his hair to rub his shoulder gently. I felt his tongue slowly drag itself across my bottom lip and I let him explore my mouth. Our tongues tied and I had to pull back after awhile to catch my breath. His mouth traveled down my cheek, to my jawline, then to my neck, kissing and biting gently.

"Elmont.." I moaned out, not believing what was happening. But as soon as I said his name, he froze. I don't know what about it stopped him, but my saying his name triggered something inside him. But what was that?

-Elmont's P.O.V-

I don't know why I kissed her. But once I started, she pulled me in. Her looks, her scent, her everything just pulled me to her. That, and I wanted her to stop talking.

I pushed her down lightly so that we were laying more comfortably on the mat, not breaking the kiss. Our mouths moved together perfectly, and I couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing


	10. Chapter 10

_Jack the Giant Slayer _

A/N: Okay, I'm an idiot and uploaded the unfinished version of the last chapter on here, so here's the finished version and the next chapter will be up within the next week. Sorry again!

Keeping my eyes shut, I rolled over in the bed I was sleeping on. I hit something, and it was warm so I snuggled into it. I was too tired to ask myself what could be warm in my bed, so I just let myself cuddle this thing in my bed for awhile. When I did decide to open my eyes, they widened immediately. Only a couple inches away, was the sleeping face of my knight in shining armor. He must have gotten cold or uncomfortable during the night and crawled in bed with me. I smiled at the thought.

Taking the chance that I had, I studied the features of his face. I traced my fingers lightly over the small, almost undetectable wrinkles that had developed along his forehead. He must worry too much, the poor man. Then I moved my hand to his facial hair, giggling quietly to myself. I always loved a man with facial hair, and Elmont had the perfect amount. My fingers then moved to trace his lips, feeling that they were chapped and worn from the harsh conditions of the late fall weather. I moved my hand to gently run through his hair, admiring it's style. It was amazing how he could keep such a gravity defying hair style in these conditions.

When I was through studying him, I curled up closer, as the morning air started to affect my nose. I buried my nose into his chest, savoring the warmth and his scent. He smelled unlike anything I had ever smelled before and I loved it. I closed my eyes again and let my mind drift back to sleep.

A poking in my side woke me up a couple hours later. I groaned quietly and opened my eyes, giving a nasty look to Elmont. He gave me a straight face in response.

"Get up, we have to go." he said, keeping it short and sweet. Well, keeping short at least. I nodded and sat up, stretching my arms in the process. The chill of the morning had nipped at my nose, and I rubbed it in hopes of warming it up. A little ray of sun had peeked through the tent, illuminating the pile of armor that was laying from the night before. I stood up and walked over to it, putting it on piece by piece until I was all dressed. I put my visors up, as all the other knights were not aware of me being who I was. Elmont and I walked through the camp, him talking to a couple soldiers to get us out of the gates. As soon as we were out of the camp I ripped my helmet off and fixed my hair.

"Those helmets are really bad for your hair, did you know that?" I asked, looking over at Elmont. He looked at me and chuckled, not saying anything.

Our walk was peaceful, the only sounds heard were of clanking armor, and birds chirping. Every once and awhile we would hear a more unique sound, such as a random growl, or the trickle of a nearby source of water. Elmont walked beside me this time, which was unusual for him. He usually walked either in front of or behind me when we walked together for long periods of time. I couldn't help but sneak glances over at him when I was sure he wasn't looking.

My feelings for Elmont had, in a way, evolved. When I first met him, I thought he was just a really attractive jerk. But know that I can see why he was how he was and the softer and gentler side of him, my feelings have grown. I'm not just attracted to his physical features now, although those are a plus. I'm attracted to his rough and tough outside personality, and his sweet inside one as well.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Elmont wasn't walking with me anymore. I turned around to see him looking around.

"What are you doing?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. I stepped closer to him, watching him inspect all around the clearing we had stepped into. It was a pretty flat piece of land, and soft grass covered the ground. There were trees on all sides, casting moving shadows through the clearings. The wind had been pretty hard that day, and it was blowing dead leaves from the trees onto the ground. A few of them crunched under my shoes as I walked towards Elmont.

"I'm thinking that this is a good place to set up for the night." he said, a hand on his chin. I hadn't been paying attention, but now that I looked at the sky, I saw the sun start to fall behind the trees, making the sky a beautiful orange and pink mix.

"Alright. What have we got to do?" I asked, sitting beside him. He looked up at the sky, then scanned the perimeter once more. If Elmont was anything, he was alert.

"Just sleep on our mats for the night. No use setting up anything unnecessary." He rolled out a large mat, sitting down on it as he took off his armor.

I bit my lip looking at his body without armor on. The purple under-armor suit he wore fit him perfectly, hugging all of his muscles. You could tell he trained a lot, if you looked at the way he moved. His actions were sharp and precise, never out of place. He was just all around perfect.

"Any particular reason you're staring at me?" His deep voice broke me out of my trance and I jumped slightly.

"I wasn't staring at you." I looked away, frowning slightly. "I was simply thinking."

"About?" he asked, leaning closer. I took a deep breath, feeling my stomach flip at his closeness.

"Just things."

He was now right in front of me, sitting Indian style, looking into my eyes. I turned my head to look at him, drinking in all of his features. I would never get tired of looking at that man.

"Erika." A shiver ran down my spine when he said my name, making goosebumps form on my legs and arms.

"Yes?" I squeaked out, mentally hitting myself for acting stupid.

"What do you think of me?"

I stopped. The tree movement stopped. The wind stopped. Time stopped. What did I think of him? As a person? As a soldier? As a friend? What did he mean? Did he mean it romantically? Could he have feelings for me? Those and many other questions ran through my mind. I wanted to ask him all of those questions but all I could get out was a little "Huh?"

"What do you think of me? I don't understand you, though I've been trying for a very long time. I'm tired of guessing, Erika, so I'm asking you. What are your thoughts about me?"

I stuttered and spluttered: "I... Well... You're a good knight... And you train well..." I bit my lip and played with my hands, not sure what to say.

"No, not like that. You know how I mean." he said, and I did. I took a deep breath, preparing myself and gathering my thoughts.

"I honestly don't know. I used to think you were just this jerk who was put on the earth to make my life a living hell. But you've done little things here and there that have made me think differently. Like giving my dad money, or offering to walk me back to the castle. I don't think you're such a jerk anymore, you're just strict, and I respect that. And I know I can be a pain, but that's just because I was trying really hard to get you to notice me, and I know that wasn't the right way to do it, I just didn't know how. And you're really attractive, which I'm sure you know, and that just-" My rambling had been cut off by a pair of soft, chapped lips pressing themselves to mine.

My eyes widened slightly, staring into the closed eyes of Elmont. His body pushed against mine, causing me to fall backwards on the mat, landing with a thump. I closed my eyes, savoring the way that his lips moved against mine. His hands traveled to my sides, rubbing them softly through the fabric of my shirt. I moved my own hands up to tangle in his hair tightly, pulling his head further down against mine. One of my hands moved away from his hair to rub his shoulder gently. I felt his tongue slowly drag itself across my bottom lip and I let him explore my mouth. Our tongues tied and I had to pull back after awhile to catch my breath. His mouth traveled down my cheek, to my jawline, then to my neck, kissing and biting gently.

"Elmont.." I moaned out, not believing what was happening. But as soon as I said his name, he froze. I don't know what about it stopped him, but my saying his name triggered something inside him. But what was that?

-Elmont's P.O.V-

I don't know why I kissed her. But once I started, she pulled me in. Her looks, her scent, her everything just pulled me to her. That, and I wanted her to stop talking.

I pushed her down lightly so that we were laying more comfortably on the mat, not breaking the kiss. Our mouths moved together perfectly, and I couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing. My hands became bored and made their way up to her sides, massaging them softly and feeling her curves through her shirt. My mind was screaming at me to stop. It was telling my that this was wrong. She was just a kid, and I wasn't right for her. But my body was screaming otherwise. She moved her hands up to play with my hair, causing a low growl to build up in my chest. I didn't realize that something so simple could feel so great when she did them. I felt one of her hands move down to my shoulder, squeezing it gently. I decided to test my luck by tracing my tongue across her bottom lip, silently asking for entrance. She immediately responded, opening her mouth and letting me explore it with my tongue. She tastes incredibly sweet, like candy. I couldn't get enough of that taste. But eventually, the need for air became more important and we broke apart to catch our breath. While she was still panting, I started to kiss down from her mouth to her neck, kissing and biting here and there. As I was working towards her collar bone, she moaned out my name and I immediately stopped.

When she said my name, something in me snapped. It was all becoming reality, and that made me stop in my tracks. I pushed away from her, staring into her beautiful eyes. My mouth hung open, as did hers. We were both trying to understand what had just happened between us.

Not a word was spoken as we shuffled around and got ready for bed. When we had finally settled in, the silence was killing me.

"Elmont?" She broke the silence first, and I thanked the heavens.

"Yes?" I asked, expecting an hours worth of questions.

"Goodnight." And with that, she rolled towards me and fell asleep within seconds.

A/N: Thank you so much for all of you who keep following and favoriting this story, even though I don't update as much as I would like. And thank you to those of you who have been here since the beginning of this, and who've helped me transform my story into what it is today! Make sure to leave a review and tell me what you think :)


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